Shortly after, dozens of fighter jets flew back and forth in the city’s sky; the sound of these fighter jets’ engines was enough to break the atmosphere of the crowded people around here, causing the people who were previously looking at the television and the people walking on the sidewalk to immediately look toward the sky.

Shortly after, dozens of attack helicopters flew across the city’s sky, surprising the people who immediately took out their smartphones to capture or record this rare moment. These fighter jets and attack helicopters were on alert in case something bad happened. Someone behind the cloaked man spoke.

“What kind of Person would need this many fighter jets just to be on alert because of his arrival?”

The people around started boisterously as they looked up at the sky.

On the other hand, what happened was still unattractive to the cloaked man standing in his place, looking at the TV displayed in front of the electronic store.

“It seems like what’s happening here is more serious than it looks….”

The TVs then displayed the condition outside the Pentagon during the discussion with Black Star, with dozens of fighter jets and attack helicopters flying on patrols above it.

“I’d better not get involved unless I must….”

Not until he finished speaking, his words were cut off because a sound similar to a smartphone notification was suddenly heard. “Ding!” A notification sound was heard along with the black panel’s appearance, with a width of 0.5 meters and a height of one meter, hovering before him at eye level, and displaying white text:

[Please be prepared; the quest will start after system initiation]

The cloaked man wasn’t surprised to see the black panel floating before him, indicating that it was familiar to him. The people around him weren’t bothered by the black panel’s appearance, indicating that only the cloaked man could see it for some reason.

“I have to find out the meaning behind all of this, or it will never end.…”

The cloaked man sighed; the text displayed on the black panel changed:

[Initiating the system…]

The cloaked man appeared to realize something.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

After a while, the black panel display changed:

[System initiation in 10…]

[System initiation in 9…]

[System initiation in 8…]

[System initiation in 7…]

[System initiation in 6…]

[System initiation in 5…]

[System initiation in 4…]

[System initiation in 3…]

[System initiation in 2…]

[System initiation in 1…]

Japan, 20xx AD.

The surrounding scenery was pitch black. Soon, a bright light spot appeared, followed by Kenshubo Takeru’s voice.

“Where are you? Why did you disappear before telling what you know about Yokai… where they came from… what memories they forget….”

The afternoon sky was clear and slightly cloudy above a barren rocky desert. A man wore a Japanese monk’s clothes covered in classic Japanese warlord armor, a cape down his back to ankle length, a hat of black steel of a broad conical shape on his head, and kegutsu (Japanese samurai boots). He carries a monk’s staff modified with a large, golden flame-patterned naginata blade. He walked alone toward the wilderness area with very tall trees and black clouds with thunder rumbling in the sky above it. He walked with the wind blowing strong enough to make the cape on his back wave backward. This man was Rengoku Shinokuro, known as the first Yokai controller. Ken’s voice was heard again.

“Ren? What are you doing? Why are you walking alone there?”

From Ken’s point of view, he could see Ren walking in front of him at a not-too-far distance. Even though Ken was trying to talk to Ren, Ren couldn’t hear him.

“Ren… can you hear me?”

Shortly after, Ren appeared to realize something; he stopped his steps and turned to Ken.

“Who are you? How could you….”

Ren appeared to be confused, his face mostly hidden by his hat covering the top half of his face. The way Ren speaks as if he could see Ken. Soon, Ken’s vision blurred and grew darker until it finally became pitch black.

The time was 5:40 a.m. Ken opened his eyes slowly. He was lying on his bed in his bedroom at his house, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. Ken woke up and changed to a sitting position with a deadpan expression.

“Ren... that dream felt so real... as if I saw him before my eyes….”

Ken turned to his digital alarm clock on the nightstand beside his bed and noticed that he had woken up earlier than the alarm he had set at 6:00 a.m. Ken suddenly felt a pain in his head, causing him to close his eyes and hold his head with his right hand. Ken opened his eyes again with a bit of shortness of breath.

“It seems I investigated Ren too much so that I dreamed of him….”

Ken got up from his bed and walked out of the room.

Ken wore his school uniform and walked down the stairs to the dining room on the first floor. In the family room, Ken’s little brother, Shitara, and Ken’s father were watching TV together while waiting for breakfast, which Ken’s mother was cooking in the kitchen. Ken’s expression turned curious; he walked over to them to watch the news on TV, which turned out to be about Black Star. Ken’s expression turned astonished as he thought.

“Black Star… somehow I feel that I have already known him for so long….”

The news program on TV then showed the headline news: “Hero or Villain?”.

Shortly after, the intercom bell sounded from the direction of the house’s entrance, surprising everyone here. Ken’s mother, cooking in the kitchen, looked at Ken through the kitchen bar.

“Could you please open the door and welcome our guest for a moment, Ken?”

Ken nodded.

“Okay, mom.”

Ken walked with an astonished expression and accelerated steps toward the house’s entrance as he thought.

“Who comes to visit this early in the morning?”

Ken arrived at the entrance and opened the door. He was surprised to find out that the visitors were Suga and Yukari, who wore their respective school uniforms. Their expressions showed that something was bothering them. Yukari spoke.

“We have something to discuss with you, Ken.”

Ken’s expression turned curious.

Somewhere on the other side of the world, 20xx AD.

The afternoon sky was clear and slightly cloudy. In one of the cities, there was a skyscraper, one of the G.O.DS (Global Organization of Defense) quarters. Inside the building, two men sat and relaxed in a spacious waiting room on the 20th floor, with a row of tall metal-framed window panes showing the city view near them. A man in his 40s named Calahan Damon, who wore a suit and loafers with his hair styled neatly and elegantly, sat on a long sofa while operating a tablet computer in his hands with a serious expression. Nearby was a man in his 50s named Alex Rolland, who wore a suit and loafers, with his slightly long and slightly graying hair making regular patterns in his elegantly styled hair, with slightly long and neatly styled moustache, and beard, which also starting to turn gray in regular patterns; this man sat on a single sofa while operating the smartphone in his hand with a serious expression. A wide TV mounted on the wall displayed a news program regarding Black Star, indicating that his discussions with the Pentagon were still ongoing. They both watched the news with serious expressions. Calahan turned to Alex.

“I hope the Pentagon disapproves of Black Star’s planned actions regarding Hero or Villain and can persuade him to drop his intentions.”

Alex crossed his arms, and his expression turned deadpan.

“I don’t know, I guess….”

Suddenly, the news broadcast was interrupted and displayed only a black screen with the text “No signal.” The news presenter asked the technical staff if there were any technical issues and if they couldn’t do live broadcasts from the Pentagon area. Calahan and Alex’s expressions turned astonished. Alex appeared to realize something.

“Maybe their signal is having technical issues; try changing to another channel.”

Calahan nodded; he picked up the TV remote on a nearby short table and changed the channel. However, several times Calahan changed the news channels, it turned out that all news’ live broadcasts that recorded situations around the Pentagon were experiencing technical issues and only showed bewildered newscasters and news program staff. Calahan’s expression turned astonished.

“Strange, all live broadcasts at the Pentagon and its surrounding area are cut off.”

Alex appeared to realize something and checked his smartphone.

“The live broadcast on the internet is also experiencing problems; how strange.…”

Alex tried to contact fellow G.O.DS agents monitoring the area around the Pentagon but failed.

“I tried to contact some of our agents who are monitoring there, but couldn’t get through, even though our connection has its own satellite….”

Calahan’s expression turned serious.

“This isn’t a coincidence; somehow, I have a bad feeling.…”

Alex’s expression turned serious.

“We can’t do anything from here; we should wait for the news from the central command.”

Calahan nodded with a doubtful expression.